


Tiny Tenants

by KieraElieson



Series: 100 G/t [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Borrowers Fusion, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, G/T, Gen, Human Logic | Logan Sanders, Janus is called Dee, Logan is very soft, references to abuse with a lighter, unnamed minor ocs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 11,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25863292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KieraElieson/pseuds/KieraElieson
Summary: A borrower Virgil is left to the mercy of the human, Logan. Stranded out on a table where Logan can't help but to see him. When, instead of trying to capture him, Logan helps him down and lets him leave, Virgil can't help but be curious.Dee and the twins, Roman and Remus, accidentally move into the house, not knowing that the human will be looking out for borrowers.And then there's Patton, who desperately needs a rescue.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders
Series: 100 G/t [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876741
Comments: 174
Kudos: 232





	1. Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> From 100 G/t Prompts.
> 
> This is set in a world where humans know of borrowers' existence.

Inside the walls, the darkness was warm, and comforting. Hums and vibrations from appliances and air conditioning filled it, and made it seem almost alive. But out here, on the table, it seemed much quieter, and somehow darker, and it wasn’t at all pleasant any longer. Not to mention the cold that was settling down into his bones. 

Virgil shivered, hugging his knees closer to his chest. It was a horrible idea. He’d said so right from the beginning. But of course no one believed him. 

Ever since humans had found out that borrowers existed, Logan had been interested in them. Virgil had watched him as he researched feverishly, and had been the first one to hear him say he wished he could catch one. 

Looking back, Virgil should have seen it coming the instant the idea was suggested. In the house with Logan was a family of four, who had at first accepted Virgil kindly, provided that he make his own home somewhere else in the house. But then Logan grew more and more suspicious, and the close calls became more frequent. Tensions were high, and Logan seemed almost ready to tear into his own walls to get proof of the borrowers. 

The idea was to let one of them get caught on purpose, so that the others could escape. Virgil had never once liked it, but somehow hadn’t made the connection that they meant him until they’d slid down the ropes, taking his down with them. 

This one table was impossible for a borrower to escape without a hook. It was hard to get on top of even with a hook. It was smooth and glossy, with the legs ramrod straight and separated from the edge by a curved lip. There weren’t even any chairs near it, though Virgil had never learned why. The drop would certainly break both legs, if it didn’t kill him, so jumping was out. 

All he could do was wait, and hope his death would be quick and painless. 

Finally, and still too soon, the bedroom door opened, and Logan’s eyes fell on Virgil almost immediately. Fear stabbed his chest, and he curled up tighter. Running wouldn’t do any good. 

Logan knelt by the table, watching Virgil intently. 

“Are you stuck?” He asked, and his voice was quieter than usual. 

Virgil just curled in on himself tighter, his muscles sore from having been held so stiffly all night, and now being forced even tighter. 

“You’re stuck, aren’t you?” Logan pressed. “You’re clearly terrified of me, so there’s no reason to stay there if you could get down on your own. How did you get up here?”

Virgil wasn’t going to answer. He knew he didn’t have to follow the rules anymore, now that borrowers were almost common knowledge, but they’d been drilled into his head so carefully when he was young, he couldn’t just abandon them. 

“Would you like me to help you down?” Logan asked. 

Virgil did  _ not _ trust the offer. The human wanted him to feel indebted, so he could demand something of him. Or something. At the very least he was going to pick him up. Virgil shuddered as the thought passed through his mind. 

To his surprise, Logan got up and left. 

But it didn’t matter. He was still stuck here, until Logan figured out whether he’d kill him or just keep him captive. 

It was several minutes later when Logan came back, holding a… towel? It was an old, ratty towel, that had definitely seen better days. Logan held one end up to the edge of the table for some reason, and then nodded, leaving and taking it with him. He came back a minute later with a pair of scissors and started snipping at the towel. 

Virgil had never seen Logan do something so strange, and wondered if he was becoming slightly unhinged. He hadn’t… messed with him at all? He asked questions occasionally, but he didn’t seem to be mad when Virgil didn’t answer them. 

Finally he held up a… ladder? He’d snipped his towel into a borrower sized rope ladder? 

“Allow me to get some tape, and then you will be able to climb down. I’ll leave the ladder, in case you have need of it in the future.” 

Logan taped one end securely to the table, and left the room. Virgil quickly climbed down and escaped to his house. The other borrowers had long gone, and they’d taken most of his stuff as well as all of theirs. 

Virgil was miserable. But more than that, he was utterly confused. 


	2. Trust

Virgil didn’t exactly  _ trust  _ Logan. But it couldn’t be denied that Logan hadn’t touched him yet. Virgil still nearly had a panic attack whenever Logan spotted him, and he did spot him frequently. Virgil wasn’t any less careful than usual, but somehow, ever since the first time when Virgil was stuck on the table, he’d been seen more and more frequently. 

Logan frequently spoke to him, whether or not he was able to see him, but Virgil never spoke back. There had been a few times where he’d offered a nod, or a shake of his head, and had received food and supplies in return. 

But this was… more than usual. It had been cold recently, and the few bits of cloth that Virgil had borrowed or accepted just weren’t enough. He’d suffered through the cold, but now he was also sick. He stumbled out of the wall, his warmest blanket wrapped around his shoulders. 

Logan, of course, noticed Virgil immediately. “Are you alright?”

Virgil shook his head. “I’m sick. I need help.”

Logan’s eyes grew wide, the effect heightened by his glasses. “O-of course!” He said, his voice louder and much more excited than usual. 

Virgil cringed back, this had been a mistake. Excited humans were never good. 

“Do you have a fever?” Logan asked. “What kind of sickness is it?”

Virgil didn’t want to have to talk again, but it did seem like the type of question that would have to be answered. “It’s in my head, and chest, and I think I do have a fever. And it’s freezing.”

“I see. Wait there, I will return shortly.” 

Virgil sat down on the counter and huddled under his blanket. It was only a few minutes before Logan came back, setting a large pad on the counter, and winding a plush blanket into a nest on top of it. 

“You can sit here. This is a heating pad, and I’ll turn it on for you. It will take me a bit longer to figure out what kind and how much medicine to give you, but I’ll start working on that right away.” 

“Thank you,” Virgil said, climbing into the nest and pulling it around him so he was blocked from view. As it it actually made him any safer. 


	3. Warmth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks later.

It. Was. Freezing. Logan was beginning to feel it through his jacket. His heater had gone out a while ago, and it was getting too cold to continue to be up and around. His fingers were so numb he could barely keep typing at his keyboard. 

“L-logan?” Came a voice, quavering with shivers. 

Logan spun his head around. The borrower living in his house was standing on the counter. His whole body was trembling with shivering, despite the blanket he had wrapped tightly around him. 

“Is it the cold?” Logan asked, though he suspected he knew the answer. 

The borrower nodded. 

“I believe I have an idea. Allow me time to prepare.” 

Logan gathered every blanket he owned and piled them on the couch. Then he ran an extension cord—thank everything the power was still on— to the couch. He plugged in his heating pad to the extension cord, and let it begin heating. Finally, he retrieved the tv remote and set it on the arm of the couch. 

“I have prepared a way to get warm,” he announced. “However, it will require that I touch you.” 

The borrower hung back for a moment, and then stumbled into his hand, his movements stiff from the cold. 

Logan carried him to the couch, and set him on the arm. He sat down, wrapping the blankets around himself and putting the heating pad against his stomach and chest. 

“You may sit wherever you like,” Logan said. “However, I would suggest you sit against my collar, as that will be both warm, and allow you an unobstructed view of the television. 

The borrower hesitated for a long second, before climbing up the blankets and settling between Logan’s jacket collar and his neck. He was cold, causing Logan to stiffen, but the warmth from the heating pad was beginning to spread pleasantly. 

Logan turned on a nature documentary, and slowly nodded off as the warmth spread around him, held in by the many blankets. 


	4. Heartbeat

Virgil could hear Logan’s heartbeat. Logan had fallen asleep a while ago, his head slipping to the side and forcing Virgil to relocate. Virgil was now huddled close to his chest. A part of Virgil was appalled that he would get this close to a human, but a larger part absolutely refused to venture out into the cold again. 

The movie ended, and as the sound cut off Logan took in a deep breath, blinking his eyes open. But the deep breath and shifting of position as he woke was enough to make Virgil slip down into his lap. Virgil let out a yelp as he tried to stop falling, but it didn’t work. He tumbled down into a nest of fabric. 

“Hnn?” Logan sat up further, and then he remembered Virgil. “Oh! I’m so sorry. Are you alright?”

He didn’t move to pick up Virgil, which Virgil was very glad of. He climbed up Logan’s jacket and sat down on his shoulder. “I’m fine.” Then he thought better of it, and moved to be between Logan’s collar and his neck. 

It was pleasantly warm, though if he leaned his head against Logan’s neck he could hear his heartbeat, and that was weird. 

“Would you like to watch another movie?” Logan asked. 

“Nah, I’m good.”

“In that case, would you mind if we relocated to my bed? It is past the time at which I usually go to sleep.”

“Uh… sure, that’s fine.”

“How would you like to handle the moving?” Logan asked. “I can carry you, or you can hold on to my collar. I suppose you could climb down and walk if you prefer.”

Virgil looked down and saw that the jacket had a pocket on either side. “Can I ride in your pocket?”

“Certainly, if it would make you more comfortable.”

So Virgil slid down and climbed inside the pocket. Soon he was swinging around in a not entirely pleasant way as Logan gathered the blankets and moved them to his room. If the jacket had been zipped up, it probably wouldn’t have been as uncomfortable, but Logan had left it unzipped after he had taken the heating pad out. 

“I am going to change into nightclothes,” Logan announced. 

“Ok. Let me out of here before you take the jacket off.” 

Logan did so, and returned very quickly, dressed in pajamas and shivering. Logan crawled into the bed and arranged himself, setting his glasses aside. 

“You are welcome to sleep wherever you like,” he said. 

Virgil wanted to be as close as possible for the warmth, but he had one large concern still. “Do you move a lot in your sleep?”

“Not to my knowledge. I typically wake up in much the same position as I fell asleep in.”

Virgil nodded, and made his way to Logan’s chest. His pajamas had a chest pocket, and Virgil crawled inside, curling up and letting the rhythmic heartbeat lull him to sleep. 

  * •^*^••



When Virgil woke up the next morning, he was surprised to find that his last reserves of fear had dissolved overnight. It was a bit uncomfortably warm, as the heater had kicked back on sometime during the night, but despite that he didn’t feel any inclination to get up. 


	5. Company

Virgil had company. He had never expected to have company, ever. And yet he did. They had showed up late last night, absolutely exhausted, and had asked if he would let them stay for at least one night. 

Despite his multitude of fears, he agreed. How could he help it? They absolutely needed the help. And what could they do to him? He already knew Logan, and was even confident that there was no way Logan would hurt him. 

There was a borrower a bit older than he was, who looked like he’d been caught in a fire. Virgil didn’t dare ask what had happened. With him were two twin boys, who said that they were twelve. He was not related to them, but their parents were either dead or missing. 

But Virgil hadn’t anticipated how quickly three extra hungry borrowers would deplete his food supplies. He didn’t keep much food in his house anyway, since he frequently was given food by Logan. But now it was gone, and he had three people that he felt responsible for. 

“I’ll go borrowing,” Virgil said. 

“I’ll come with you,” Dee said, standing up. 

“No, no, it’s ok. You don’t know the house, or the human. You’re my guests anyway, stay here.”

Dee frowned, but sat back down. “Thank you. But I will want to help if anyone has to go again.”

Virgil nodded. “Just stay here for now.”

Virgil got his largest bag and quickly found Logan. 

“Logan? Can I ask for a favor without you asking questions back?”

“You may. Wh— never mind. Yes. What is the favor?”

“I need food. A good bit of it.”

Virgil could see the questions bubbling up in Logan’s mind, but he didn’t ask them. 

“Do you care what kind of food?”

“Something like a half of a granola bar might work.”

Logan nodded, and was back with a granola bar in under a minute. He broke it in half, and Virgil took one piece, shoving it in his bag, which wouldn’t close now, and hefting it up. 

“Thank you.”

“You are most welcome. Will you be able to carry it and still move adequately?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

Virgil made it back to his house. 

“Woah! How’d you get that?!” One of the twins asked. 

“Did you take it right out of the human’s hand?” The other asked. 

Virgil grinned. That was a very close guess, though the kid clearly thought Logan had been sleeping or something. 

  * •^*^••



The problem came two days later. Virgil had been practically itching to go out and talk to Logan, but he felt like he couldn’t, so he’d been spending much of his time lurking in the entrances to the walls. 

Suddenly he heard an “oh…” and a small, terrified squeak. 

Virgil rushed out. 

Dee was frozen just behind a box of cereal, and Logan was also frozen, his hand reaching out for the box. Neither of them moved, staring at each other. 

Virgil moved in front of Dee. It snapped them both out of their daze. Logan blinked, and Virgil felt Dee grip his shoulder. 

“Logan, please leave the room,” Virgil said, his voice as calm as he could make it. 

Logan opened his mouth, and Virgil could see the build up of questions that had been waiting so long nearly tumble out, but then he closed it, turned, and walked out of the room. 

Dee made a long, shaky exhale. “How did you do that? Never mind, he’ll be back any minute. We’ve got to leave!”

Virgil turned and gripped his shoulders. “Calm down. He won’t be coming back yet. I… I know him. He knows that I live here.”

Dee gaped at him. 

“If you go back to my house, I’ll talk to him.”

“You’re a trick.” Dee said. “You lure in other borrowers.” His face turned to horror. “I won’t let you give him the boys. I don’t care what I have to do.”

“No, no, Dee, I’m not. I promise. Logan’s a decent human.”

Dee shook his head. “You’re lying.” He pulled away and ran back into the wall. 

Virgil sighed. So much for company. They’d be gone before the sun set. 

“Logan?”

“Can I come back now?”

“Yeah.” 

Virgil climbed onto the offered hand. Logan sat down at the table. 

“Can I ask what’s going on now?”

Virgil nodded. “Some other borrowers came. They’re running away from a bad situation. I said they could stay with me, and I tried to keep them a secret. Logan, you can’t try to talk to them, even if you see them.”

Logan nodded slowly. He absently stroked Virgil’s hair while he was thinking. Virgil leaned into it. Usually it would make him a bit annoyed, but he’d missed Logan these last few days. 

“Is there anything I can do to make them more comfortable?”

“I don’t think so. I bet they’re leaving. If you see one of them, just pretend that you didn’t, and walk away.”

Logan nodded. He must be thinking again, because his fingers were roaming over Virgil. He always needed something in his hands while he was thinking, and Virgil didn’t mind being that thing sometimes. 

“Is there anything I can do to actively help?” 

Virgil shrugged. “I don’t know. I get the feeling they wouldn’t accept help from you.”

Virgil looked away, feeling rather bummed out, and saw Dee. Standing on the kitchen counter, shock painted all over his face. Virgil had no idea how long he’d been listening. 

“L-Logan!” Dee yelled. 

Logan turned to look. “There’s no need to yell. I’m capable of hearing you at a normal volume.”

“What a-are you doing?” Dee asked, his body trembling with the effort it took to maintain his mask of confidence. 

“I had been discussing plans with Virgil.”

“Why’s he in your hands, then?! What are you doing to him?!”

Logan looked down at his hands, and Virgil looked up at him.

“It’s the fidgety thing,” Virgil said. 

“Ah. Yes. I tend to fidget with my hands while thinking. Virgil seems to find it pleasant.”

Virgil flushed at the wording, but he nodded. 

Dee shifted his glance from Virgil up to Logan. “You weren’t lying?”

“No, I wasn’t.” 

Dee turned, and walked back to the wall, looking over his shoulder frequently. 

“Maybe… they won’t leave?” Virgil said hesitantly. 


	6. Top

“Stooooooop!” Roman moaned, his voice going in and out. 

“I don’t know how!” Remus said gleefully. 

Virgil looked in horror at the top, spinning wildly, with Roman barely holding on. He also had no idea how to stop it. Not without it flinging Roman off. 

Dee just sighed. 

How had they gotten the top spinning? How had they even gotten a top?!

It took it a minute to stop, and Roman slumped off, very nearly throwing up. 

“Are you alright?!” Virgil said. 

Dee waved him off. “He’ll be fine. These two get into messes more often than they don’t.”

Remus knelt beside Roman, clutching his hand. “When you die, tell our mother I’ve always loved her!”

“Promise,” Roman said, though his voice sounded like he was close to throwing up again. 

Dee rolled his eyes. 

Logan walked into the room, his eyebrows shooting up. “Has something happened?”

“Mr. Logan,” Roman said plaintively. “Bury me in roses. Please! It’s all I’ll ever ask for!”

Before Logan could get worried, Dee stepped in. “You are not close to death, Roman, and you’re scaring our hosts. Apologize, both of you.”

“Sorry,” both twins muttered. 

“May I ask what has actually transpired?” Logan said. 

“I spun Roman on the top!” Remus said excitedly. Then his eyes got very wide. “Would you spin me?”

Logan looked between Dee and Virgil. “I am almost certain that if I were to spin the top with you on it, it would result in severe bodily harm.”

“I don’t mind!” Remus insisted, bouncing up on his toes. 

“That was a no, dear,” Dee said. 

Remus pouted. “Can we at least still bury Roman in flowers?”

“In roses,” Roman said, finally sitting up. “Please?”

“I am not opposed to purchasing you flowers,” Logan said. “However, there will be no burial involved.”

Remus pouted again, but Roman looked quite pleased. 

“There is no need for you to buy flowers for us,” Dee said. 

Roman’s face fell, but he didn’t contest Dee’s words. 

“I’m aware that it is not a need,” Logan said, his tone softening. “But I frequently find pleasure in giving gifts. Please allow me to do this for you.”

Virgil saw Dee silently mouthing ‘allow?’. 

Dee finally nodded. 

Logan mirrored the nod, a triumphant glint in his eye. “Virgil, would you like to accompany me?”


	7. Reveal

Virgil nodded, but he bit his lip. Other than Logan, he’d never willingly revealed himself to any humans. He trusted Logan to keep him safe, but that didn’t make it any less nerve-wracking. 

It was only a few minutes before Virgil was riding out in Logan’s chest pocket. For Logan, it was only a thirty minute walk to get to a flower shop. Virgil hadn’t even known it existed. He was also a bit surprised. 

“I didn’t think humans walked this far to get places.” Virgil said, bravely keeping his head above the edge of the pocket and looking around. 

“Most do not. I would be the exception.”

“Why?”

“I enjoy walking. It makes me more conscious both of my own body and of the world around me.” 

Logan opened the door to the flower shop, and a bell rang. While he was looking around, Virgil’s attention was caught by a man on the other side of the shop. The man was carrying a small box. 

“I said shut up!” The man said, angrily and under his breath. He shook the box roughly, and Virgil heard a thump and a small sound. It sounded like someone getting hurt. 

Virgil hit his fist against Logan’s chest, staring directly at the box. Logan easily read the signal, and soon his attention was also drawn to the box in the man’s hands. 

“Pardon me,” Logan said, walking towards the man. 

Virgil ducked down in the pocket. 

“What?”

“I was curious as to what you have in your box.”

“What, this? It’s another one of those damn tinies. Can’t go anywhere without running into one of them. Creepy little things.”

“Might I have it?”

“What?”

I would like to take your ‘tiny’.”

There was a silence, and Virgil was tempted to pop his head back up. 

“What’ll you give me for him?”

Logan rummaged around. “I have $45 in cash on me.”

“Yeah, dude, take it.”

Virgil waited until the man had walked away to pop his head back up. Logan was holding the box awkwardly. 

“Put me inside,” Virgil said. “And then get the flowers and let’s get home.”

Logan carefully scooped Virgil out of the pocket, and dropped him in the box. It was just a cardboard box, with the flaps folded over the top. 

Inside it was dim, but Virgil could see the other borrower huddled in the corner. 

Virgil crouched, not wanting to seem like he was looming. The box swayed as Logan walked. 

“Are you alright?” Virgil asked. 

The other borrower bit his lip and shook his head. 

Virgil crept closer to the other borrower, and was shocked into silence when the first move he made was to hug Virgil tightly. Virgil awkwardly patted his back, and the borrower started shaking with repressed sobs. 

“It’s ok now,” Virgil said, trying to be comforting. “Logan is my friend. No one’s gonna hurt you anymore.”

It wasn’t until they were well on their way home that the borrower calmed down some. 

“Sorry.”

“No, hey, it’s alright. I’m Virgil.”

“‘m Patton. Wh-what’s going to happen?”

“Right now, we’re going to Logan’s house. Once we get there, you can pick what happens next. If you want to get out, and meet some other borrowers, or if you just want to stay here, whichever is fine.”

“He has more borrowers?” Patton asked, the note of fear distinct in his voice. 

“He doesn’t  _ have _ them, really, we’ve been hosting them. They haven’t decided yet how long they’re going to stay.”

Patton nodded, ducking his face down to hide it. It was clear that he didn’t really believe Virgil. 

“What if I told you the story of how I met Logan?” Virgil offered. 

Patton shrugged. 

Virgil was telling stories of all the shenanigans the twins had been getting up to when they finally got home. 

The box was set down on the table. 

“How would you like this to go?” Logan asked, without trying to look inside. 

Patton shrank down as soon as Logan spoke. Virgil looked at him worriedly. 

“Leave the room, please, and I’ll come get you when you can come back. Maybe ask Dee if he would come and cut us a door.”

“That is acceptable.” They could both hear Logan’s footsteps retreating. 

“He asked you, and listened to you…” Patton said. 

Virgil nodded. “Yeah, he does that a lot. He’s nicer than any human I’ve ever met. Or even heard of.”

There was a knock at the outside of the box. “Hello?”

“Hi, Dee. Would you cut us a door?”

“Sure. Logan said you picked up a friend?”

“My name is Patton,” Patton said, not denying the friendship. 

Virgil felt his cheeks grow warm. Patton was still holding onto him. Perhaps picking up a friend wasn’t really an exaggeration. 

A loud scratching sound started up, and it took Dee maybe ten minutes to cut the hole in the cardboard. The two of them slipped out, and then Virgil paled. 

In the much brighter light of the kitchen, he could see that Patton was practically covered in bruises. Virgil just stared. 

Dee, who was much better at handling things, walked off. “I’ll go get some medicine.”

Patton flushed and looked down, embarrassed. 

“Sorry, I— are you alright?” Virgil said. 

Patton shrugged. 

“Dee’s getting medicine, but I can ask Logan for an ice pack, or a heating pad. Or I can get you some food.”

Patton looked up immediately at the mention of food. “That would be nice.” He gave Virgil a tentative smile. “Thanks, kiddo.”

Virgil’s heart swelled as he smiled back. He would officially do anything for Patton. 


	8. Vertigo

Virgil looked down over the edge, and took a step back as vertigo swirled within him. Of all the places in Logan’s house, somehow this one always unsettled him. Maybe it was the air vent nearby, blowing cold air over him. 

He was on top of the tallest bookshelf in Logan’s house. There was only a few inches between its top and the ceiling, just enough that he could stand up straight. Patton was shorter, and had no problems moving around, trying to sweep out the massive quantities of dust. 

There was a doorway into the walls, and a borrower house just past that. They’d built the house for Patton, and this bookshelf top would be his porch. He didn’t trust Logan yet, which no one blamed him for, and they’d all decided that this was a good compromise. He’d be seeing more of Logan from a safe location, and he could retreat to his house instantly if he wanted. 

But what Virgil thought was most important was that Patton was healing. His bruises were slowly fading, and they’d made sure that he didn’t have any broken bones. His ribs were under dispute, as Logan believed that they might be fractured, but Patton absolutely did not want Logan examining him. So they’d wrapped them up, where they would be more supported, and tried to keep Patton from doing anything that might hurt them. 

Patton shuddered slightly, and hid behind Virgil. 

Logan was... well, he wasn’t quite looking at them. He was staring at a wall nearby, and watching them out of his peripheral vision. Virgil shook his head, nearly laughing. 

“Lo, you can’t do that either.”

To his credit, Logan didn’t pretend he wasn’t doing anything. “I apologize. I find myself very curious about your living arrangements. I did not intend to cause fear.”

“It’s alright. Just... you’ll have to wait on that one for a bit.”

Logan nodded, his face neutral, but Virgil could still see the notes of disappointment. He left the room shortly afterward. 

Virgil and Patton resumed sweeping the dust up, and shoving it over the side onto the floor. Logan would come by and sweep it up later, when Patton wasn’t out. 

Soon Dee and the twins arrived, bringing water and cloths, and they helped to clean the whole top of the bookshelf as well as could be done. Then Virgil went to get some food, and they had a picnic on top of the dresser as a way to claim it as theirs, and safe. 

The twins, of course, couldn’t behave the whole time, and Remus very nearly tumbled right off the edge, nearly giving each of the adults heart attacks. So after that the two of them were sent to their house, and were grounded for at least the rest of the day. 

“Do you think you’re set up now, Pat?” Virgil asked. 

Patton nodded. “Thanks. For... for all of this. I didn’t— I thought living like this was impossible before, but now...” 

Virgil reached out, and Patton fell into his arms, trying not to cry. “It’s alright. Logan is a good bean. He’ll make sure we’re safe.”

“But why?” Patton asked. “If-if he’s curious, and he finds everything out, won’t he get bored? A-and when he gets bored—“

Dee’s face creased, as if Patton was saying out loud the same thing he’d been thinking. 

“He won’t kick us out. And he won’t hurt us.” Virgil said firmly. 

“How do you know?” Dee asked. “You’ve known him less than a year.”

“He won’t. I know he won’t.”

Virgil didn’t like being on the other side of a divide like this. But what he didn’t like more was his instinctual pull to believe them over Logan.


	9. Diversion

Virgil was meant to be a diversion. Not that they really  _ needed  _ a diversion, but it made Patton feel more comfortable. Dee would take Patton to get some food, enough to make a large enough store that he wouldn’t have to leave his house for at least a week if he wanted. Virgil just had to keep Logan in his room. 

That wasn’t difficult. Virgil climbed up onto Logan’s desk. Logan was, as could reasonably be expected most of the time, studying. He wrote, but not just any writing, he wrote science papers. They didn’t exactly bring in a lot of money, but it was what Logan was passionate about. 

Virgil leaned against his free hand, watching him write a few lines. Then he pulled down another book from his ‘Current’ shelf, which was right above his desk, and opened it. Without the stimulation of writing, his hands started wandering. Spinning the pen, rubbing against the edge of the desk, drawing idle, repetitive lines, or just slowly clenching and unclenching in a fist. 

And then a hand brushed over Virgil. He remembered the first time it had happened. He’d been terrified, frozen between the belief that Logan wouldn’t hurt him and the fear that he would. Now, though, he found it quite pleasant. Logan stroked a finger over his head and down his back, and then cupped his hand around Virgil. His fingers slowly wandered over Virgil, rubbing and poking softly, or turning him around or sometimes even upside down. If Virgil was ever uncomfortable, he just had to wiggle down to the table again. Even with as little attention as Logan was giving him, he rarely made the same mistake twice.

“I’ve missed this,” Logan said, a while later. “It’s become more and more rare.”

Virgil was, as per usual, feeling rather sleepy, and very calm and content. He draped over Logan’s hand. “Do we need to schedule it in?”

“That is a possibility. Though, the spontaneity has been a large part of the appeal.”

Virgil nodded, fighting back a yawn. “Maybe I should schedule it. It can still be a surprise to you.”

Logan smiled softly, temporarily abandoning his work. “You are very considerate to think of it that way. But I wouldn’t want you to hold yourself to a schedule if it would make it less enjoyable for you.”

Virgil waved the concern away, the yawn forcing its way out of his mouth. “I can make it a flexible schedule. Like a ‘whenever I feel like it every tuesday’ type of thing.”

Logan smiled fondly, rubbing his thumb against Virgil’s hair. Virgil leaned into the touch.

“Would you like to nap in my pocket?”

Virgil grinned. “That’d be amazing. Just hang out in here a while longer, ok?”

“Am I allowed to ask why?”

“Only if I’m allowed to say I won’t tell you.”

Logan chuckled, and picked Virgil up, dropping him into his chest pocket. Hearing his heartbeat was still strange, but not nearly as much as it had been the first few times, and it lulled Virgil to sleep.

  
  



	10. Cold

Unfortunately, even with how good a human bean Logan was, he couldn’t control the weather, and he couldn’t seem to control his heater either. It was an unexpected cold snap, and the heater had yet again cut off.

Virgil had no problems seeking Logan up and curling into his pockets, or directly against him, but the other borrowers were far less trusting.

Patton wrapped up in his blankets, and started picking his way down from his house up above the cabinet to Dee and the twins’s house, which was behind the baseboard in the kitchen. 

He knocked on the door. From inside there was a rustling, grunting sound, and then a sigh. 

“Let yourself in, please.”

Patton opened the door and found a whole nest of blankets right in the middle of the floor, with Dee being smothered by the sleeping twins. Dee chuckled slightly. 

“I can’t really get up. They practically hibernate whenever it gets cold, and if they manage to catch me I’m just stuck until they wake up.”

Patton hid a giggle behind his blanket. 

Dee opened his arms as much as was possible with a boy laying on each one. “Want to join us? It’s freezing.”

Patton very much did. “If you don’t mind…”

“Not at all,” Dee said, his slight joking tone gone from his voice for a moment. “You can lay right on top. These two probably wouldn’t wake up if the whole cabinet tipped over on us.”

Patton did feel slightly awkward, but between the cold, and the invitation, and the possibility of cuddling, he soon was laying on top of Dee, trying not to wake the twins up.

A bit later, the twins woke up on their own, tore through the house with almost a manic energy, while Dee just sighed, and then returned to the pile. Patton was then very thoroughly cuddled, trapped inside the blanket nest whether he liked it or not. Though really, he did like it very much. It made him feel young and safe again. 


	11. Exploration

Roman peeked around the corner. The human— Logan, was just sitting at his desk, reading some old books like he had been for hours it seemed. 

Roman nodded at Remus, who ran up with the hook. Dee kept their hooks well hidden away, but he left his own in more easily reached places. And he’d finally fallen asleep. 

They were very good at being sneaky. Very, very good. The human didn’t even notice them before they were all the way up on his desk. They even surprised him a bit, walking out to where he could see them. 

“Good afternoon.”

They both nodded politely, still a bit worried about talking to him without an adult around. 

“Did you need something?”

“Well, we were going to explore, but we’ve been all through the walls, and you were the last thing to explore here,” Roman said, his voice only quavering a tiny bit. 

Remus was more bold, going right up to the human’s hand and giving it a shove. “What’s that wrestling thing you do with Virgil? Can I do it too?”

“It isn’t exactly wrestling, but I wouldn’t be opposed,” Logan said. 

Remus clambered over his hand, tugging at his fingers. “Oh, come on, it’s no fun if you just sit here all limp. Grab me!” 

Roman’s heart jumped up into his throat when the human really did grab Remus, but Remus was laughing, so it must be fine. Remus was climbing and flipping and hanging off of his fingers, and the human was getting a small smile. His eyes shifted to Roman. 

“Would you like a turn as well?”

Roman shook his head. “Maybe next.”

“It’s fun!” Remus exclaimed, cackling laughter as he hung upside down by Logan’s grip on his ankles. 

Roman had been more interested in Logan’s pens anyway. He had everything perfectly color-coded, and Roman longed to use that color himself. 

“Would you like to draw, Roman?” 

Roman was startled by the use of his name. He was most often just one of the twins, and it felt different to have his name called, especially by a human. He nodded slightly. 

Logan got him a clean sheet of paper, and tipped the entire organizer onto its side so Roman could reach. 

“Thank you. Um… Logan.”

“You’re very welcome, Roman. Please return the pens to their correct place as you finish with them.” 

Roman nodded very seriously. 

It was a while later that he and Remus switched, and Remus even got a whole separate paper, so that Roman’s drawing wouldn’t be messed up. Logan grew even larger in the minds of the both twins, and they firmly decided that they liked him. 

Roman quite enjoyed the wrestling, or whatever it was, though his little shrieks when Logan picked him up were slightly less fun-filled than Remus’s had been. 

  * •^*^••



The twins were gone. Dee cursed. He never should’ve let himself sleep while they were awake! They were his responsibility! 

He searched frantically, growing much more concerned when he couldn’t find his hook. 

When he finally saw them, his heart nearly stopped. Logan had one in each hand, and they were struggling to get down. 

“STOP!” Dee shrieked, his voice going high and thin with fear. 

Logan turned to look at him, setting the twins down slowly. 

Nothing mattered but getting them safe. Dee hurried to reach the desk, and the twins slid down a string and started running toward him as well. 

Dee grabbed them each by an arm and dragged them into the safety of the walls before he broke down. 

“Why would you go out there?! Alone! Anything could’ve happened! Are you alright?!”

They didn’t seem hurt, but with the tears blurring his vision he couldn’t tell for sure. 

“We’re fine, Dee. He didn’t hurt us.” Roman promised, hugging close to Dee. 

“Yeah, Logan’s awesome!” Remus said. 

As happy as he was that they weren’t hurt, this was too much, and Dee broke down in tears. 

“Don’t do that. Don’t— you can’t do that to me. Please, you scared me so bad!”

Dee was sandwiched in a careful hug. 

“We’re sorry,” Remus said. “We didn’t mean to scare you.”

“We were just exploring,” Roman said. “Sorry for scaring you.”

Dee gripped them tightly. If either of them left his sight for the next week he was going to scream. 


	12. Ignorance

“He would never do anything like that! He didn’t, I talked to him,” Virgil insisted. 

Dee crossed his arms. “It honestly does not matter. I will not be willfully ignorant of what could happen.”

“Well, what do you want to do about it? I’m sure you’ve already banned the twins from leaving your side.”

Dee breathed in deliberately. “I’m going to talk to him. Myself. I would appreciate if you would keep the boys safe while I’m gone. I can also ask Patton to help.”

Virgil shook his head slowly. “No, I can handle them for a little bit. Just… don’t yell at Logan. He didn’t do anything wrong, and, and he’s done so much  _ right _ !” 

Dee nodded stiffly. “I am well aware of what he’s done.”

Virgil nodded again, stepping out of the way for Dee to get past. 

Dee went out, not surprised to see Logan making dinner. He went up inside the wall, and popped out of a door just at the counter level. 

“Ah, Dee.” Logan said immediately. “I wish to apologize for any fear I may have caused. I’ve considered how the situation would have appeared, and want to reiterate that I would never wish harm to any of you.”

Dee was a bit surprised by the immediate apology, but it didn’t change his decision. 

“I don’t want you to interact with the twins unless I’m there to supervise.”

Logan thought for a moment, and then nodded. “I would make a condition. You must tell them as well. I won’t ignore them if they don’t know I’ve been asked to do so.”

That was… actually a very reasonable condition. And he hadn’t pushed to interact with them. Dee wasn’t quite sure what to make of this. He’d both expected a response similar to this, and also expected something very different. 

Dee tossed out some idle comment about the food Logan was making. Logan easily answered, tossing back a question about something equally innocuous. That started up a conversation, slow, and not meaning much of anything. It was like a game of ping pong, where instead of trying to score a point, they were each just trying to keep the ball moving, and weren’t in any hurry. 

Finally Logan pulled the pot off of the stove. “Would you like to join me for dinner?”

Dee nodded. The conversation had been surprisingly enjoyable, but it was just a stalling method before he got to the thing he felt he had to do. 

There was a bit of silence, where Dee pointedly did not look anywhere near Logan’s face as he ate. But in not looking at his face, he saw his thumb running back and forth over his fingers in a repetitive motion. 

“I—“ his voice came out in a squeak, and he took a deliberate breath, trying again. “I want to experience what it is you’ve been doing.”

Logan looked between Dee and his hand. “If it makes you uncomfortable—“

“No.” Dee was determined. Those boys  _ would  _ try to do it again, no matter what obstacles he put in their way, and he had to be sure it was really safe. He took a few steps towards Logan’s hand. “I want to try.”

Logan nodded slowly, hesitantly. “If you become uncomfortable, tell me, and I will stop immediately.”

Dee nodded stiffly, and stiffened even more as the hand came around him. It was fine. A bit nerve-wracking, but fine. Being pushed a bit, lifted a bit, prodded slightly. He didn’t enjoy himself, certainly, but there was nothing dangerous about this, and it matched what he had seen before. 

But then Logan ruffled his hair with a finger and suddenly Dee’s vision was filled with an approaching lighter. He let out a terrified cry as his legs gave out, but the lighter never left his vision, coming closer and closer, no matter how much he screamed and begged. 

Suddenly something heavy and cold and wet dropped over him, turning everything to black and shutting off the vision. Dee gasped, trying to get his breath back. 

“I apologize, I didn’t know what else to do,” Logan said quietly. “I’ve put a wet washcloth over you. I can remove it or leave it, whichever you would prefer.”

“L-leave it…” Dee said shakily, wrapping it closer to himself, and relishing the cold damp feeling. 

“I believe I’ve triggered some kind of traumatic flashback. I’m truly sorry.”

“Y-you d-didn’t— didn’t know.” Dee said, starting to shake as the adrenaline left his system. He was very grateful that he couldn’t see Logan directly. 

“Should I try to get Virgil?”

“No, I’ll, I’ll be fine.” 

Dee held the blanket around his shoulders and sat up. It wasn’t real. Not anymore. It happened in the past. 

“Is there anything can do?” Logan asked. 

Dee shook his head. “Don’t use lighters. And… and probably don’t touch my head.”

Logan nodded seriously. 

Dee stood up. He wanted to get back home. He wrapped the washcloth tighter, until his clothes were damp, and then let it go, leaving without a word. 

Logan didn’t try to stop him, or speak to him, which Dee appreciated. Interacting with humans was always miserable in some form or other, but at least Logan tried to make it as bearable as possible. 


	13. Problem

It was… it was not a problem. Except that maybe it was. Patton paced back and forth, feeling the frown etch itself into his forehead. 

So what if he hadn’t used his porch while the human was in the room? He didn’t need to. But, that’s what it was for. That’s what Virgil and Dee spent all that time helping him for. To get comfortable around Logan. 

But… what if he didn’t  _ want _ to get comfortable around Logan? What if he just wanted to stay safe in the walls like it had always been before? Before some humans had to go and prove they existed. 

But how could he just throw away their time and effort like that? And even Logan had to have feelings, and what if Patton was upsetting him by never going around him? Oh, no, what if Patton was  _ upsetting  _ him???

Nope, Patton wouldn’t go out if Logan could be mad at him. But if staying in was why he was mad… agh! 

He wished Virgil was here. Virgil knew how to stop the terrible spiral of thinking. But Virgil and Dee and the twins had gone outside. It had sounded kind of fun, but also really dangerous. Patton didn’t want to even chance another human seeing him. 

So now he was just stuck pacing. The evidence was quickly mounting up in favor of going out onto his porch, but so was his fear and anger at the very idea of it. 

Finally he peeked out through the door. Logan was watching something on the tv, and not looking even a little bit at Patton. Patton crept out to the very middle of the porch, his whole body shaking. He’d just sit here, totally silent, for five minutes. That was it. Then he could go back inside. 

There was a soft, feminine voice, talking about the stars, and giant firey balls that looked nothing like stars, but still very impressive. It took till the very end of those five minutes for Patton to calm down and pay enough attention to realize that they  _ were  _ stars. 

Patton actually overstayed his time just a bit, watching till the program ended. Logan started flipping through channels, staying on each one for only a few seconds before moving to the next. Patton was about to head in when one popped up showing cookies. He didn’t know whether they were being made, or just eaten, he just saw cookies and let out a little ‘oh’ on accident. 

Logan somehow heard it immediately, and turned to look. Patton was instantly terrified again, racing back inside with a muffled shriek. 

  * •^*^••



Logan felt awful. He should’ve remembered not to look that way. It was just half a second, but that half a second was enough to terrify poor Patton. 

He had, however, caught onto the fact that Patton had made the sound as the cooking program came on. Patton should have plenty enough food that it wouldn’t be the mere sight of it, so it must be the type. Logan turned back to the screen. Cookies. 

He’d have to make some. 


	14. Raindrops

Virgil and Dee had mostly sat back, trying to keep the twins alive as they were determined to climb everything they saw, no matter how many times their height it was. 

Until the fat raindrops started falling, and any further climbing had been banned. Then the twins ran around, trying to stand directly beneath a drop as it fell.

Virgil was kind of impressed at how often they succeeded, but Dee just sighed. 

“If one of those drops hits just the wrong way they’ll end up breaking their necks.”

“Break my head clean off!” Remus said gleefully. “Dad  _ always  _ said that. Wouldn’t let us play in the rain even a little.”

Virgil was curious about their past, but didn’t want to ask and make them think about something they’d rather not. 

“Yeah, well I’m not your Dad,” Dee said. “But that doesn’t make him wrong.”

“Nah, you’re more like Mom anyway,” Roman said, dangling upside down from a stick he’d found that stuck up into the air at an angle. 

“Mama Dee!” Remus crowed, quickly turning it into a chant that Roman echoed. “Mama Dee, Mama Dee!”

Dee looked very annoyed for a moment, but he just shook his head. “Ignore them, if we react it’ll just go on longer.”

Virgil suppressed the small smile to nod solemnly. 

“We should probably head inside soon, before all of us get sopping wet,” Dee said. 

Virgil looked up at the sky, which was still growing darker. “Yeah, the rain will probably get heavier soon.”

Both boys immediately started up a protest of ‘aww!’ and ‘but it’s barely sprinkling!’ and ‘just a little more?’ But Dee soon had them rounded up and going into the house. 

Virgil had avoided the raindrops almost as successfully as the boys had caught them, and didn’t need to change clothes. He went right to see how Patton was doing, and noticed a surprisingly delicious smell pervading the house. Cookies?

And then he realized, as he got closer, that he could hear sobbing. He broke into a run, bursting into Patton’s house. 

Patton was curled up in his nest bed, almost hysterical. 

“What happened?! What’s wrong?!”

“H-he sa-aw me! He saw me a-and—and he knows I’m here— and he’s try-trying to lure me ou-out with cookies! He-he’s trying to catch m-me!”

Virgil picked Patton up partway, and Patton clung to him. “No, no Patton, he doesn’t want to catch you, I promise.”

“He does! He-he saw me! And he knows that I l-like cookies!”

“No, no, he’s not trying to catch you.”

“He is!” Patton wailed, sobbing into Virgil’s shirt. 

Virgil took a deep breath. He wasn’t certain that this was a panic attack, since it looked very different from the ones he had, but hopefully the same tricks Logan had taught him would work for Patton. 

“Patton, can you tell me something you can see?”

“W-what?”

“Something you can see.” Virgil brushed some of the damp hair out of Patton’s face. “You’ll have to open your eyes, ok?”

Patton opened his eyes. “I can see your shirt.”

“Good! Well done.” Virgil rubbed a hand gently on his back. “Can you give me four more things you can see?”

Patton pulled away just enough to look around. “The walls, and m-my bed, and you, and that crack that lets in some light.”

Virgil started deliberately breathing deeper and slower, hoping Patton would pick it up as they went. “That’s very good. How about four things you can hear?”

Patton nodded slightly. “Um, you, and the air conditioning, and the walls creaking, and me.”

Virgil smiled, pleased to see that Patton was calming down. “How about three things you can feel?”

Patton’s hand reached around. “There’s the blanket, and your arms, and my face is wet.”

Virgil offered the end of his shirt for Patton to wipe his face with, since it was already covered in tears anyway. “That’s very good. Can you taste two things?”

“Dust and salt.”

“There. Just one more, something you can smell.”

Patton’s face crumpled again. “Cookies shouldn’t be used for evil!”

Virgil grimaced, he should’ve avoided that one. “They aren’t. I promise Logan isn’t trying to trick you. I’ll get one for you, and bring it up here. You won’t even have to leave your house one bit.”

“But then why is he making them?” Patton asked. “You said he doesn’t like sweet things except jelly.”

“He might’ve made them for us. I like sweets, and those twins  _ really  _ like sweets.”

“But he only made them  _ after  _ he knew I liked them!”

“But,” Virgil countered. “I’ll get you anything you want, and he definitely knows that. He wouldn’t make a lure with such an easy way out like that.”

Patton nodded slowly. “But… what about when he does make a good one, and I can’t get out, and then he gets mad at me for trying, and—“

“Shhhh,” Virgil said, rocking Patton back and forth. “He doesn’t  _ want  _ to catch you. He wants you to be happy, just like I do.” 

Patton just shook his head. 

Virgil didn’t know what else he could say. “Do you want me to bring you up some cookie?”

Patton nodded. “Thank you.”


	15. Precarious

Roman was precariously perched on the rim of a cup, happily munching on his bit of cookie, and Logan was trying very hard to neither look at him for too long or reach out to hold a hand beneath him. Remus was probably in an even more dangerous position, but Logan thankfully hadn’t caught sight of him yet. 

At least Dee seemed to be keeping an eye on the both of them, also eating a piece of cookie. And he didn’t seem concerned, so perhaps they really were fine. 

A small scraping noise caught his attention, and Virgil stepped out onto the counter. 

“Virgil! Do you know if Patton will be joining us?”

Virgil’s face went from neutral to sour. “No, he… he won’t.”

Logan frowned just slightly. He could’ve sworn that cookies were the correct answer. Perhaps it had been something else? 

“Does he dislike cookies?”

Virgil shook his head, letting out a sigh. “He thinks they’re a trap.”

Every bit of his good mood drained from him. He’d done it twice. He’d made two truly awful miscommunications. It was enough. He couldn’t leave his intentions to be so misconstrued. 

Logan abruptly turned and walked into the living room and faced where he knew Patton’s home to be. 

“Wait, Logan!” Virgil’s voice called, but Logan ignored him for the moment. 

He raised his voice slightly, but was careful to be sure that his tone did not sound angry in any way. 

“Patton, I wish to apologize. I scared you earlier, and I had intended to apologize, and perhaps make it up to you, by making cookies, which is seemed you would enjoy. I did not make my intentions clear, and it seems I have only scared you further. I apologize.”

There wasn’t a single sound from Patton, but Logan was going to finish what he was saying, whether or not he got a response. 

“If there is any way I can possibly relieve your fears or make things smoother between us I would like to know. You do not have to tell me yourself, I’m sure Virgil would be willing to carry a message. I do not expect you to become friends with me, but my goal is to take our relationship to a place where there is no longer any fear. If this means that we are no longer in any contact whatsoever, then so be it. I leave that up to you.”

After waiting a moment, with no response, Logan walked into his bedroom. It may be cowardly, but he wasn’t entirely certain that he could face the other borrowers right away. 

  * •^*^••



“I just don’t know,” Patton said, his voice still trembly. 

“If you aren’t sure, tell him to leave you entirely alone,” Dee suggested. “You can always change your mind about it later.”

Patton nodded slightly. 

“I know you don’t really believe me, but I completely believe Logan.” Virgil said. “He just wants us all to be happy. And I don’t know why he cares, but he does, and he’s willing to let us stay here, and feed us, and he’s even letting us choose how we interact with him. He did with me for a long time before I trusted him.”

Patton bit into the cookie, his face showing his troubled thoughts. After a while, he gave a half-hearted chuckle. “He makes good cookies. Maybe I can say he has to make me cookies whenever I want.”

“You could,” Virgil said. 

Dee shrugged. “If I’m gonna get fat, these are a good way to go.”

Patton’s chuckle gained a bit more strength. “I was joking.”

“Really, though,” Virgil said. “Come up with something ridiculous, something way too much, and I’m sure he’ll still do it.”

Patton nodded. “I wanna think about it more.”

Dee waved a hand at Virgil to hush whatever he might say. “And that’s fine.”


	16. Trap

Patton just couldn’t shake the feeling that this could still be a trap. But Virgil and Dee would be there, just out of sight, and they’d be watching. 

So Patton took yet another slow breath, hoping that eventually the tremor shaking his body would stop. 

Virgil had already explained to Logan that Patton was going to try baby steps. And between the baby steps to please leave him alone. Well, this was the first of those steps, and it seemed very much not like a baby at all. It seemed like a massive leap. 

Patton took another breath, trying to concentrate on the feeling it made coming in and going out, instead of the thoughts swirling in his brain. He pushed the door open and walked out onto the kitchen counter. 

Logan was waiting patiently, and Patton didn’t know if that made the whole thing easier or harder. 

“I-I want you t-to, to give me just— just one high five. A-and then leave.” Patton hated the stutter, but he was really surprised he’d managed to get the words out at all. 

He held a shaking hand up. 

Logan came closer, and Patton tried really hard not to cringe away. But he just ever so gently tapped his finger to Patton’s hand, and then left, not making any sound, and his face perfectly even and open. 

Patton collapsed to the counter in a wave of relief. He’d done it. He’d done it! And, and it wasn’t awful! Actually, that was pretty miserable, but nothing truly bad happened! 

Virgil and Dee came out and wrapped him in a hug, and he felt so good and warm sandwiched between them. 

“You did so well, Patton,” Dee said quietly. 

Virgil hummed in affirmation, squeezing just a bit tighter. 

Patton let out a laugh that still sounded a bit panicky, but was mostly happy, because he’d done it! 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks later

It was difficult to override his own instincts to look at the flashes of movement in the very corners of his vision. But still, Logan wasn’t supposed to interact with the twins or Patton, and if Virgil or Dee wanted his attention, they would always come closer or announce themselves. So he was trying to keep his eyes forward as much as possible. 

But there was progress, and Logan still held out hope that someday he’d get back to feeling comfortable and free, if still careful and gentle. Patton, in particular, was trying very hard to get along with him. Even though his poor body shook when Logan got close enough to touch him, and he clearly wasn’t comfortable when they tried to watch a movie together, he was still trying. Every few days at least there would be some form of contact, slowly graduating up to more and longer periods of time. 

The little door on the kitchen counter opened, and Logan very carefully did not look to see who it was. 

“Logan?” Came Patton’s rather faint voice. 

Logan turned to look at him, pretending he didn’t see the slight cringe, and giving a slight smile. “Yes?”

“I would like…” Patton bit his lip and took a deep breath, standing straighter. “I would like to make cookies with you.”

Logan couldn’t hide the surprise, with how quickly it came. This was a huge step for Patton. “Of course, I’d love to make cookies with you.”

Patton gave him a shaky smile. 

Logan started getting out bowls and measuring spoons, careful to set them down quietly. “What kind would you like to make?”

Patton froze up a bit. “What about thumbprint cookies?”

“That sounds delicious,” Logan said, trying to be encouraging. 

There came that shaky smile again, and Logan discovered that he loved it. 

He pulled out the ingredients, and while he couldn’t do anything that was heavy, Patton was surprisingly good at handling the measuring spoons, and with just a little help, he had several things to climb up on to reach everything he needed. 

But what really surprised Logan was how well and quickly Patton formed the little balls, and patted the indentation into them. 

“Have you made cookies before?”

Patton got a sad, almost nostalgic look on his face. “Yeah… a long time ago.”

Logan just nodded, not wanting to press. 

But Patton kept talking. “It was just a bit after borrowers were ‘discovered’, and I was living in this house where there was a little girl. She loved cookies so much! And I thought, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. It was fine until her parents saw me, and then it quickly became not fine.”

“I’m sorry.”

Patton shrugged, setting another ball of dough onto the pan. “At least you don’t have any more humans here, huh?”

Logan nodded, not quite sure if it was meant to be a joke. He had that slight lilt to his voice, as if it might be, but Logan didn’t want to laugh at something that might not be a joke. 

They’d only made a small batch, since it was just Logan and the borrowers, and it all fit on one pan, which Logan put into the oven. 

“This was… kind of fun,” Patton said, giving Logan another shaky smile. 

Logan smiled back. “It was. I’m glad you suggested it.”

Patton’s smile grew, and he looked away. He picked the measuring spoon up again, hefting it into the empty bowl. 

“We could clean up now, while they’re baking.”

Cleaning up didn’t take long, but neither did baking, and soon there were twins sneaking out onto the counter hoping to get a first taste. 

Logan pulled the cookies out and put several on a plate to cool, not that that stopped the borrowers. 

Logan was trying to follow the ‘do not interact’ rules, but a chance glance in their direction, and he saw Patton, both hands full of cookie, with jelly on his face, and smiling, really truly smiling at him. Logan’s heart was instantly full, and his mind saved that image away carefully, where he could come back to it as frequently as he wanted. 


	18. Bookshelf

Patton had been steadily practicing getting nearer and staying nearer to Logan, and his fear gradually faded. 

Logan had even cleared a shelf on his bookshelf for Patton! He put one book open on the shelf, and Patton could handle turning pages by himself and read it that way. 

But… Patton was noticing other things too. Logan, who had been so calm and steady when he first had met him, was starting to get almost flighty. His eyes darted around always, and he would sometimes jump at small noises. And, perhaps the worst of all, he was frowning more and more often. 

Or maybe that wasn’t the worst. Maybe the worst was that Patton was pretty sure he knew why. 

“Hey, Dee? Can we talk?”

“Hmm?” Dee looked up from where he was coloring with the twins. “Yeah, what is it?”

“Can we talk alone?”

Dee frowned slightly, but got up and went with Patton. 

“What is it?”

“It’s Logan…”

Dee blinked. “What— did he do something?”

“No, it’s… it’s what we’ve been doing. It’s not good for Logan.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean with all the rules. They were good to start with, and I’m really glad he let us make them, but I think we need to let them go.”

Dee nodded slowly, but he was still frowning. “What do you mean it’s not good for Logan though?”

Patton started naming examples, and Dee’s eyes kept getting wider, his frown fading away. 

“I missed it. I missed all of that, but I see it now that you’re saying it. Yeah, let’s go talk to Logan.”

  * •^*^••



Both Dee and Patton stepped out onto his desk, and Logan froze, not sure if he was ‘supposed’ to see them or not. He settled for rubbing his eyes with both palms, hoping they’d leave if they didn’t want him seeing. 

“Logan?” Patton asked, his voice now entirely devoid of the quiver it had had for so long. 

Logan pulled his hands away, giving Patton a tired smile. It’d been a long day. “Did you need something?”

Patton shook his head. “Only kind of. We wanted to talk with you.”

Logan nodded seriously. 

“The way things are going just isn’t sustainable,” Dee said. 

Logan shook his head. “You’re right. I’ve been meaning to talk with you, or at least Virgil, about this for a while now. Perhaps it might be better if you stayed in the walls.”

Dee’s facial expression entirely changed, but Patton put a hand on his shoulder. “We can stay in the walls if that’s what you want, but what we were going to say is that… well, we really trust you, and we don’t think you’d ever do anything to hurt us. So, no more rules?” Patton immediately waved his hands. “I mean! It’s your house, so if you have rules! But no more from us I mean.”

Logan felt as if a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “That- thank you. It’s very flattering to have you put your trust in me. And I didn’t mean to imply that I wouldn’t want you around.”

Patton bit his lip, and rocked forward a bit on his feet, but then he suddenly ran forward and put his hands on Logan’s, squeezing slightly in a kind of hug before taking a step back and offering a smile. 

Logan smiled back. Suddenly, from his chest pocket, where he’d entirely forgotten that Virgil was napping, was a tiny ‘yes!’.


	19. Please

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter!

It had been a few weeks since they’d rediscussed rules. There was now a sign at both the big and little doors of Logan’s bedroom and office, and he could change the sign to ‘open’, ‘quiet’, or ‘closed’. The rest of the house was free game, and the twins in particular made sure it was never quiet. 

Many of the foods in the kitchen were borrower-accessible, and Logan was willing to open the others for them if it was a mealtime. 

They’d even had another borrower guest, though she moved on after only a day, saying that it wasn’t Logan, just she didn’t want to be the only girl. Patton wondered if she’d come back with friends someday. 

And, Patton’s favorite part! There was mandatory family movie nights twice a week. Since Logan was the human he got to pick half of them, and the borrowers either compromised or took turns picking. 

And that was tonight. Logan had a bowl of popcorn in his lap, with Roman and Remus sitting close by so they could keep getting pieces. Virgil was perched on his shoulder, and Logan offered him a piece every once in a while. Janus was sitting up on the back of the couch, with exactly three kernels of popcorn he’d carried himself and was slowly munching on. Patton was sitting on the arm of the couch, leaning back against Logan’s hand, and he had a piece of a cookie that they’d baked earlier in the day. 

He had to wait until the intermission, and would admit to not paying much attention to the first half of the musical, before he’d gotten up enough courage. 

“Hey, Lo?”

“Yes?” Logan asked, stifling a yawn. 

“Can you maybe do the thing? The hand-holdy rubby thing?” Patton’s shoulders came up, worried in spite of himself, and in spite of the fact that he knew exactly what Logan would say. 

“Of course.”

Patton nodded quickly, shying away from the hand as it moved. “But, can you maybe do it really super gently? Please?”

Logan gave him a soft smile. “That is not at all a problem.”

His hand cupped behind Patton as the intermission ended, lifting him up just slightly. 

Logan was very gentle and slow, his hand rocking Patton back and forth as his fingers moved carefully. It was way more enjoyable than Patton had even guessed, and he even had to hold back giggles once as Logan’s thumbnail dragged over his belly. But as soon as he tried pushing Logan’s fingers they moved immediately, and he never had to worry about Logan crushing him, because Logan’s grip was very loose, and he didn’t even pick Patton up any more than an inch or two. 

Patton experimented a bit with what he could get Logan to do, pushing and pulling fingers gently. (And not at all paying attention to the movie)

Then he had maneuvered himself and Logan to where Logan rubbed a finger on his head, and that felt the very best. So Patton kept pulling his finger back after he’d move it away, until finally he glanced over, gave Patton a small smile, and then just petted his head for the rest of the movie. 

And he even tested the limits after the movie, holding onto Logan’s hand when he tried to take it away, and pretending he’d fallen asleep. 

“Patton, the movie’s over.”

Patton didn’t react, or almost didn’t. A bit of a smile almost slipped out. 

Logan cupped his other hand beneath Patton, lifting him slowly and whispering. “Should I take him to bed?”

Virgil snickered quietly. “He’s just trying to get more attention.”

Logan’s little ‘oh’ was adorably confused. “Well, then… what if I set a pillow on my nightstand and you can sleep there, Patton?”

Patton opened his eyes, smile now unimpeded. “That sounds really nice. Thank you, Logan, you’re very best human I’ve ever known.”

It was hard to tell in the dark, but Logan might have even blushed. 


End file.
